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Police said the car was a black Audi A5, which was later found abandoned nearby in Hathaway Crescent, without Maria inside.

The man who took the car was described as a slim Asian man dressed in black clothes.

Maria was found in Ruskin Avenue, near to where the car was dumped.

For a recap of how this story unfolded check out our blog below.

20:25

Official confirmation

The Tweet below is how police revealed that Maria had been found.

Delighted to report that missing child Maria Tudorica aged 17months has now been found safe and well in the Ruskin Avenue, E12 area. Thanks to media and all members of the public who have helped with this appeal.

Pictures from the scene

Before Maria was found pictures were taken of police in the area. A huge number of officers were sent to the scene to search for the toddler.

The car was taken in Nine Acres Close (Image: John Stillwell/PA Wire)

Extra police have been sent in to help the search for Maria (Image: John Stillwell/PA Wire)

20:04

Maria has been found safe and well

Maria has been found safe and well in Ruskin Avenue near to where she went missing, Scotland Yard has just announced.

19:56

Family were 'distraught'

A teacher visiting her parents in Nine Acres Close has said the missing child’s family were distraught when they learned the car had been found without Maria.Nazneen Saleh, 25, had been shocked to read news reports of the events unfolding on the street when she went outside to speak to the girl’s uncle and a woman she believes is her grandmother.“I’ve spoken to the child’s uncle, he was explaining the situation to me and he wasn’t aware that they had found the car abandoned,” Ms Saleh told the Press Association.“I think the child’s grandmother was there and she went into a frenzy. She was like, ‘I can’t believe they have found the car but not the child’.“And then she ran off.”Ms Saleh, of Leytonstone, east London, believes the family had not yet been told about the car’s discovery while they were searching for the girl.“It’s absolutely devastating, I’m so shocked and I’m a teacher so I feel really upset,” she added.

Police at the scene in Nine Acres Close (Image: John Stillwell /PA Wire)

Additional reporting by Sam Blewett, PA

19:45

Extra police deployed

The Met are sending out extra police to help with the search. The Met’s special constables - volunteer police officers - have tweeted to say they are joining in the efforts to find Maria.

19:42

'My prayers for this darling baby girl'

Some of you have left messages of support for the family in what must be a horrific time for them.

Beryl Gumble commented on Facebook: “I really, really pray this baby is found safe and unharmed.”

Rachel Batchelor wrote: “This makes [my] stomach churn, my heart goes out to the family hope all turns out okay.”

Sally Rivers posted a comment below the appeal on our West London page.

She said: “My [prayers] will be for this darling baby girl, praying for a safe return! Whoever has her please bring her back?”

19:19

Met's appeal shared more than 6,000 times already

The Met’s newest appeal to find Maria was tweeted a little more than 20 minutes ago and has been retweeted nearly 2,000 times already. Their earlier tweet put out around an hour ago has been shared more than 4,500 times. The word is getting out there but we all need to be vigilant and alert police immediately if we see her.

18:59

Update from police

Police originally said Maria, whose surname is Tudorica, was aged two, but they now say she is just 17 months old.

18:55

The drive from Nine Acres Close to Hatherway Crescent

It’s only a short drive between the two locations, as you can see in the map below.

Hatherway Crescent is a short drive from Nine Acres Close (Image: Google)

18:51

Key information

Here are the key facts:

Two-year-old Maria is missing after the car she was in was stolen from Nine Acres Close in Manor Park at 4.37pm

The car was found a short time later abandoned in Hathaway Crescent but Maria was no longer in the car

The suspect is described as a slim Asian man who was wearing dark clothing

Police said the car was a black Audi A5 registration number FY58UAZ

Anyone with information or who thinks they might have seen the car’s movements should call 999 right away

18:37

Another picture of Maria

Maria was wearing a white top and red bottoms.

Two-year-old Maria was wearing a white top and red bottoms (Image: Met Police)

18:35

More pictures released by police

Here’s another picture of Maria put out by police in the hope that someone spots her.

18:26

What we know so far

Really worrying news here from Newham and the Met Police have put out an urgent appeal for help. A baby girl, aged just two, is missing after a man made off with her dad’s car.

This car was then found abandoned without Maria. This happened at 4.37pm this afternoon (January 6).

The man who took the car is described as an Asian man of slim build, dressed in black clothing.